The Middle
by Ax
Summary: Yay! Another songfic-thingy by yours trully! This one is to Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle." It is about Tom's ghost basically trying to advise Jake and Cassie, and also trying to bring them back together (kinda). Slightly AU towards the end, but still


A/N:  Yay!!! Another music video/songfic type-thing!!!  Gosh, I've been writing like a maniac for the past couple of days…  Wow.  This one is from Tom's point of view (in this, he's the singer), and he's giving advice to Jake and to a lesser extent, Cassie, after he's gone, killed by Rachel.  It's the slightest bit AU towards the end, but I still think it's good!  I've been doing a lot about Rachel and Jake…  And lots of it focused a bit on Tom, Jordan, and Sara, too…  Hmm…  What can I say?  The Berenson cousins (with the exception of Saddler and his siblings) are awesomeness!  Please review!!!

Disclaimer (I actually remembered one!): As much as I wish I owned them, I don't own the song "The Middle" or the book series Animorphs.  K. A. Applegate owns Animorphs, and Jimmy Eat World owns "The Middle".

The Middle

The video opens in the courtroom where Visser Three/One is being tried.  Jake is sitting in the witness stand, and one of Visser One's lawyers is standing up, pointing at Jake with an accusing finger.  A ghostly image of Tom appears in courtroom, standing behind Jake.  No one sees Tom.  He starts to sing as Jake's mouth drops open, and his face looks as though he as been slapped by the lawyer's accusation that he is a war criminal.  However, after a moment, his face grows pained as he starts to think that she may be right.  Tom looks at him pityingly and pats him on the back.

_Hey, don't write yourself off yet._

Tom walks in front of Jake, and motions at all the people in the room, shuffling, whispering, and glaring at the lawyer for even suggesting that Jake, Jake the Yeerk-killer, Jake the one who saved the world should be tried for his "war crimes".

  
_It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on._

As Jake stands to speak, and nothing comes out, Tom looks at him, pleading for him to do something.  The ghost's psychic message to his brother seems to work, and Jake finally starts to speak.

  
_Just try your best, try everything you can._

However, after a couple of minutes, Tom's face starts to fall as Jake makes a fool of himself, unable to say anything clearly.  Jake finally goes back to the rest of the living and available Animorphs, and Tom helplessly hovers near Jake, forcing a smile to try and assure him.

  
_And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away._

Tom notices Cassie looking at Jake with tears in her eyes, wondering if that night's planned kidnapping and forced morphing to make Jake feel better.  He walks over and takes her hand, trying to comfort her.  He shakes his head sadly as he sees what has come of his brother and Jake's friends.

  
_It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle, it'll up the ride._

Tom looks at all four of the present Animorphs, and shrugs.  He gives them a weak smile.  His smile grows to a real one when he sees Marco meet Cassie's eye and then gesture at Jake.  A small smile flits across Cassie's face for just a moment, realizing that their plan for that night should work.

  
_Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright)._

The scene changes to the visitor center of some random park, where Ronnie is flirting with Cassie.  She cannot help herself, and smiles.  Tom appears next to her, and, thinking of how devastated his brother would be if Cassie started dating somebody else and knowing that Cassie still loves Jake, Tom tries to warn her, pushing her away from Ronnie.

  
_Hey, you know they're all the same._

Tom steps in between the two, planting himself there firmly as if that will help Cassie keep away from Ronnie's advances.  When Ronnie takes her hand, Tom throws his hand up in frustration, and kicks Ronnie.  Of course, he does not feel anything.

  
_You know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in._

Tom sighs, and turns back to Cassie, pleading with her, trying to show her how great it would be without Ronnie.

  
_Live right now._

Cassie frowns and whips her hand away from Ronnie's grasp, mouthing one word:  "Jake."  As Ronnie looks embarrassed and tries to cover up the incident, Tom punches into the air and jumps.  He turns back to Cassie, smiling thankfully.

  
_Yeah, just be yourself._

Watching Cassie try to get away from Ronnie, as she is flustered by the event, Tom celebrates some more, and laughs in Ronnie's face.

  
_It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else._

Tom looks at Cassie again, and notices the desperate look in her eyes, as well as the tears.  She really wants to get away from Ronnie.  Sighing again, Tom gives her a small hug, and tries to comfort her.

  
_It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride._

Cassie suddenly turns and runs away from Ronnie, tears spilling from her eyes.  She darts out of the visitor's center, and locks herself into her car.  Tom trails behind her, still trying to comfort the girl.

  
_Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright)._

Cassie opens her backpack, rummages through it for a moment, and pulls out a photo of Jake.  She looks at it for a moment before bursting out in tears again.  Tom sits down on the hood of her car and looks at her through the windshield.  He, too, looks at Jake's picture, wondering when Jake will get better.

  
_It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride._

As Cassie stares morosely at Jake's picture, Tom climbs off the car and opens the passenger seat.  He pats her on the back.  When Ronnie looks out the window at her, Tom waves him angrily away, and amazingly, Ronnie complies, although he still cannot see Tom.

  
_Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright)._

The scene changes again, now showing a graveyard at night, Jake sitting in front of and staring guiltily at a large headstone that says Rachel Berenson.  Nearby is a smaller, less ornate one that says Tom Berenson.  Tom appears next to Jake, and looks at both headstones, especially his, sadly for a moment, and then sighs and looks at Jake.  He walks over and tries to lift him up, pushing him toward the car.

  
_Hey, don't write yourself off yet._

Jake finally does stand up, and Tom smiles.  Jake gets into the driver's seat of the car, and Tom sits on the passenger's side.  Jake starts the car and drives out, and as he passes the guard, he looks down in shame.  The guard, however, looks adoringly at Jake, saluting him as he drives out.  Tom tries to show him all this as he continues to sing.

  
_It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on._

Jake pulls into his driveway and walks into the house, followed by Tom.  Jake sits down on the sofa, seemingly looking at nothing and doing nothing.  Tom watches Jake for a moment, as if he cannot believe what his little brother is doing to himself.  Tom finally turns, grabs an unfinished lesson plan nearby, and pushes it toward Jake.  Sighing, Jake takes it without wondering why it is no longer on the table, but instead floating in what he thinks looks like midair.

  
_Just do your best, do everything you can._

Tom looks outside and sees a shadow running toward the house.  Suddenly afraid for his brother's safety, thinking it might be one of the terrorists that plot against him, Tom checks once more to make sure that Jake is occupied, before he runs to the door and flings it open.

  
_And don't you worry what the bitter hearts are gonna say._

Tom takes a step backwards when he sees Cassie hesitating in front of the door, wondering whether or not to ring the bell.  She starts to turn away, then turns back again.  A smile grows on Tom's face.

  
_It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride._

After hesitating a moment longer, Cassie rings the doorbell, and with a groan, Jake stands up, wondering what psycho wants his autograph now.  Tom grins even larger as Jake opens the door wider than Tom had it, and stops, dumbstruck, when he sees Cassie there.

  
_Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright)._

Cassie pauses for a moment, unsure of what to do now that she is face-to-face with Jake.  After a second or two, she snaps out of it, and starts to talk to Jake, placing her hand on his arm.  Tom grins ear-to-ear as the hard, tense lines on Jake's sad face melt away, and he starts to look interested in something for the first time in years.  Cassie's face lights up when Jake takes her hands.

  
_It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride._

Tom suddenly becomes solid, beaming at Jake and Cassie as they hold hands.  They look at him in shock, finally seeing and hearing him.  He gives them both the thumbs up, and disappears again, finally happy.

  
_Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright)._  
  



End file.
